Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-02-22
STORY OF A RECLUSE.

STORY OF A RECLUSE.
In one OF the mountainous counties
Of Wales there lived for many years, q
hermit of whom no one had any knowl-
edge.
His abode was a ave, In wild region;
and he never appeared among his fellow
beings except TO obtain such ne-cessaIies
% his hermit lie required.
He would never, while living, reveal
his name, nor place OF birth, nor the
which had led him TO seclude him
self from the world.
One day Q couple OF travellers, pass
ing through that region, visited the cave
and found the hermit not only dead, but
IN q stat OF decomposition.
The body, after an inquest, was bur-
led. and some garments, and q few tribes
which belonged to the deceased, were
deposited at the nearest magistrates
office, with a full statement Of the Iacts.
In a pocket Of one OF these garments
was found Il manuscript, supposed to
have been written by the deceased, and
which, as II tells its own story we here
transcrree without a word OF comment:
was born in year | shall not record,
IN a place ] shall not reveal, and under
Q name | shall not di close.
For many long years have been dead
20 tue wcrl aud my de,i 9 now is that
the waves OF oblivion shat. roll over me
and leave me as IL l had never been.
Anu yet there are some cts In my
life VIII On ! wish TO SET forth.
Why
Vel, l doubt II I could tell any one
Why.
Ionly know that the impulse is on me
70 write them down. perhaps to destroy
the record when done.
Ny youth passed pleasantly.
i had kind. indulg mt and pious pa
rents. who sought 10 make my life a
happy one.
was sent TO school at an early age,
and kept Ia re till | had acquired agCod
English educ ton.
linen, at m wi request, I became an
under-clerk in the large dry goods estab-
iishinent OF a prosperous merchant.
b strict integrity and dillgeIce I
gradually rose 10 a first position.
A uao-nnd-,n enty 1 had the conf
derr Il nr al pioyer, and va, o lea
in.rI IDS ~ cling.
Al u'; ills ~ lie ne very happy: AID
a. ..,cG - ward thea he fuIu.c
seemed very bright. But. alas, and
alas this was the beginning OF q sorrow
which will never end while l remain on
earth.
My employer had a daughter-a kind.
gentle, lovely being -who, to my enrap-
Naarad ptlfan aaafn al an annal inat mama
down from Paradise.
From the moment I first beheld her
my whole soul went out TO her, and
from that tine forth l could concelve OF
no enjoyment In which she had no part.
As l am confessing this 10 myself. or
10 a word that will never know me, l
will say that | loved her TO a degreee OF
worship which made her a something
above and Deyond my reach and though
naturally cas- and fluent IN conversation,
! could not speak TO her without chang.
ing color. and choking. and appe r.
ing more like an idiot than a msu Of
sense.
This made me avoid meeting her when
Alone, or Pressing forward TO take my
chance with those who Were seeking her
ct every opportun Jy, perhaps because
of a lik ng Tor herself, perhap- because
Of a liking for the money she would in.
herit.
i do not think she ever suspected me
OF having any regard for her beyond that
OF her being the daughter OF my employ
or whom ] was in duty bound to treat
with respectful Difference, and certain
! an she had no conception OF the holy
love anu worship | secretly gave her.
As | have said. Iayoided as much as
possible coming IN contact with her
would have gone a mile out Of my way
rather than speak to her, and yet her
presence, In any company Of which /
iormei q part, was a glowing Joy, and
her absence a depressing void,
Among her numerous suiiors was a
fellow clerk, who held a p slttun Of con-
fidence under our employer san lar to
my own, and WHO, when We We're alone
together, was always priising her sweet
ness and beauty. and proclaiming his
W undying love.
"oh, fancy the golden moment when
i shall be able TO clasp her dear little
hand In mine. and call her blythe ndear-
Ing name Of wife he would sometimes
exclaim, or use words Of similar import |;
and when | would as often turn aside, to
conceal the feelings that would almost
overpower me, he would mistake the ac-
ton for q dislike OF the subject.
"Ah," he ons day said TO me. " j per-
oeive my da ling finds no favor In your
sight; and She knows you do not like
her; but for my stke | trust that you
Will not let her see that you absolutely
hate The sight Of her person, aud the
mention OF her name"
This TO me, whose excess Of love for
III object In question was consuming
me like an inward fire.
Man J cried /, turning upon him with
the glaring fury Of a beast, "if you
loved that being with one tenth ~ the
passion that is destroying me yon would
cut your wagging tongue from ,ur gu =
Ing mouth ere you would pe.iuit 80
hippalt a mention ~ so sacred a maine"
From that moment he ceased TO s,rlk
OF her ia my presence, AMI l. lcpllng that
she wa lost 10 me forever. OILY secretly
worshipped her from afar.
So matters drltted on Tor n time, and I
became miserable over my solitary
brooding ; and while / wished myself lar
enough from tue scene OF a rivals tfi-
umph, shrank from tn thought OF going
where should never look upon my IDOL
again.
One night, having forgo ten something
site store. / procured the key from
the porter and entered the building.
To my surprise, ! soon perceived the
Qlimmer OF q liaht In thu eountIng-ro.om